A skewer in chess is an attack by a bishop, rook or queen on two enemy pieces standing on the same line, where the more valuable piece is in front. The front piece is forced to move out of the way, and the piece behind it is captured. When the front piece is the king, the skewer is absolute: the king is in check, it must move, and the piece behind is lost with no defense.
A bishop skewer, step by step
Here White's bishop goes to g8 with check. The black king on e6 and the black queen on b3 stand on the same diagonal, with the king in front.
8/7B/4k3/8/8/1q6/6PP/6K1 w - - 0 1
Open this position in the analysis board →
After 1.Bg8+, Black has exactly six legal moves, and every one is a king move: Kd7, Ke7, Kf6, Kf5, Ke5 and Kd6. Nothing can capture the bishop or block on f7. Whichever square the king picks, 2.Bxb3 wins the queen. Stockfish 17.1 at depth 20 rates 1.Bg8+ at about +8.3 for White, while every other move leaves White lost.
What skewers look like in real puzzles
We checked all 25 skewer puzzles in our trainer, which come from the Lichess puzzle database. In each one we found the first solution move by a bishop, rook or queen that lines up on two enemy pieces, the front one worth more than the back one, and recorded the attacker and both targets.
| Finding | Puzzles | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Skewer made by a rook | 13 | 52% |
| Skewer made by a queen | 9 | 36% |
| Skewer made by a bishop | 3 | 12% |
| King in front (absolute skewer) | 23 | 92% |
| King in front, rook behind | 13 | 52% |
| King in front, queen behind | 6 | 24% |
Method: we replayed each puzzle with the chess.js move generator and scanned the line from the attacker's landing square for the first two pieces it meets. The puzzles range from 745 to 2344 in rating (median 1299), and the solutions run two to five moves. It is a sample of 25, but the pattern is sharp: skewers are almost always checks, and the rook is the main skewering piece.
The rook skewer in the endgame
The most common skewer in the sample is king in front, rook behind. It decides many rook endgames. The black king on c7 and rook on h7 share the seventh rank.
8/2k4r/8/8/8/8/8/R5K1 w - - 0 1
Open the rook-skewer position →
1.Ra7+ checks along the rank. Black has six legal replies, all king moves (Kb8, Kc8, Kd8, Kd6, Kc6, Kb6), and the rook on h7 cannot block on b7 because its own king is in the way. Then 2.Rxh7 leaves White a full rook up. Stockfish 17.1 at depth 20 confirms 1.Ra7+ as the winning move (about +4.1); the next best move is only equal.
Skewer vs pin
A pin and a skewer use the same geometry, a line piece attacking two pieces on one line. The difference is which piece is in front. See the pin lesson for the full pin pattern.
| Pin | Skewer | |
|---|---|---|
| Front piece | Less valuable | More valuable |
| What it does | Cannot (or should not) move | Must move |
| What you win | Often the front piece | The piece behind |
| Absolute version | King behind | King in front |
When a skewer does not work
A skewer fails when the attacking piece can simply be taken. This is the first position again, but Black has a knight on e7 that covers g8.
8/4n2B/4k3/8/8/1q6/6PP/6K1 w - - 0 1
Open the defended-square position →
Now 1.Bg8+ loses the bishop to 1...Nxg8, and White is left with two pawns against a queen and knight. A skewer also fails when the back piece is defended and worth less than your attacker: winning a defended knight with your queen is a loss, not a tactic.
How to spot a skewer in your games
Run this check whenever two enemy pieces share a rank, file or diagonal:
- Find the line. Look for the king or queen with another piece behind it on the same line, with nothing in between.
- Find the checking square. Locate a square on that line where your bishop, rook or queen can land, ideally with check.
- Check that square's safety. Can the front piece, or anything else, capture your attacker there? Can the line be blocked?
- Count the trade. Make sure the piece behind is undefended, or worth more than the piece you will give for it.
And the defensive version: never leave your king and an undefended rook or queen on the same open line. Step off it before your opponent checks along it.
Practice: Skewer
All 25 skewer puzzles →Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a pin and a skewer?
In a pin, the less valuable piece is in front and cannot safely move because a bigger piece is behind it. In a skewer, the more valuable piece is in front, is forced to move, and exposes the piece behind it.
Which pieces can skewer?
Only line pieces: bishops, rooks and queens. Knights, pawns and kings attack single squares, so they cannot attack through one piece to another. In our 25-puzzle sample, rooks made 13 skewers, queens 9 and bishops 3.
Can a king be skewered?
Yes, and it is the most common case. A skewer with the king in front is called an absolute skewer: the king is in check and must move, so the piece behind is lost. It made up 23 of the 25 puzzles we checked.
What is a skewer vs a fork?
A skewer hits two pieces in one direction, one behind the other. A fork hits two pieces in different directions from one square.
Ready to practice? The skewer puzzles page has all 25 skewer puzzles, and the analysis board lets you test any skewer from your own games. Next, learn the discovered attack.